The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday gave a clean chit to former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail and others in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) reference. The development comes after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) withdrew the graft reference against the former premier, who has since long been calling for abolishing the anti-corruption watchdog over political victimization. The Accountability Court (AC) judge Nasir Javed Rana heard the case as Abbasi appeared before the court along with his lawyers. During the hearing, NAB Deputy Prosecutor Azhar Maqbool told court that the bureau was withdrawing the reference against the former prime minister and others. “The NAB is withdrawing the reference against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi,” he said.

Former prime minister Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq and others were facing charges of corruption over awarding LNG import contract allegedly at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer. In 2019, NAB Rawalpindi filed a reference in the Liquefied Natural Gas import contract case against 10 accused, including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and former Pakistan State Oil managing director Sheikh Imranul Haq. According to the reference, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded a LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws. The case was heard by an accountability court in Islamabad, and in 2020, Abbasi was arrested by NAB and later released on bail.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan